tinghereyesandliftinghercheektohis。\"Tellmeonething,\"Fredwhispered。\"Yousaidthatnightontheboat,whenIfirsttoldyou,thatifyoucouldyouwouldcrushitallupinyourhandsandthrowitintothesea。Wouldyou,allthoseweeks?\"
Sheshookherhead。
\"Answerme,wouldyou?\"
\"No,Iwasangrythen。I’mnotnow。I’dnevergivethemup。Don’tmakemepaytoomuch。\"Inthatembracetheylivedoveragainalltheothers。WhenTheadrewawayfromhim,shedroppedherfaceinherhands。\"Youaregoodtome,\"shebreathed,\"youare!\"
Risingtohisfeet,heputhishandsunderherelbowsandliftedhergently。Hedrewhertowardthedoorwithhim。
\"Getallyoucan。Begenerouswithyourself。Don’tstopshortofsplendidthings。IwantthemforyoumorethanI
wantanythingelse,morethanIwantonesplendidthingformyself。Ican’thelpfeelingthatyou’llgain,somehow,bymylosingsomuch。Thatyou’llgaintheverythingI
lose。Takecareofher,asHarsanyisaid。She’swonder—
ful!\"Hekissedherandwentoutofthedoorwithoutlook—
ingback,justasifhewerecomingagainto—morrow。
Theawentquicklyintoherbedroom。Shebroughtoutanarmfulofmuslinthings,kneltdown,andbegantolaytheminthetrays。Suddenlyshestopped,droppedfor—
wardandleanedagainsttheopentrunk,herheadonherarms。Thetearsfelldownonthedarkoldcarpet。Itcameoverherhowmanypeoplemusthavesaidgood—byeandbeenunhappyinthatroom。Otherpeople,beforehertime,hadhiredthisroomtocryin。Strangeroomsandstrangestreetsandfaces,howsickathearttheymadeone!
Whywasshegoingsofar,whenwhatshewantedwassomefamiliarplacetohidein?——therockhouse,herlittleroominMoonstone,herownbed。Oh,howgooditwouldbetoliedowninthatlittlebed,tocutthenervethatkeptonestruggling,thatpulledoneonandon,tosink
intopeacethere,withallthefamilysafeandhappydown—
stairs。Afterall,shewasaMoonstonegirl,oneofthepreacher’schildren。EverythingelsewasinFred’simagi—
nation。Whywasshecalledupontotakesuchchances?
Anysafe,humdrumworkthatdidnotcompromiseherwouldbebetter。Butifshefailednow,shewouldlosehersoul。Therewasnowheretofall,afteronetookthatstep,exceptintoabyssesofwretchedness。Sheknewwhatabysses,forshecouldstillheartheoldmanplayinginthesnowstorm,\"\"Thatmelodywasreleasedinherlikeapassionoflonging。Everynerveinherbodythrilledtoit。Itbroughthertoherfeet,car—
riedhersomehowtobedandintotroubledsleep。
ThatnightshetaughtinMoonstoneagain:shebeatherpupilsinhideousrages,shekeptonbeatingthem。Shesangatfunerals,andstruggledatthepianowithHarsanyi。
Inonedreamshewaslookingintoahand—glassandthink—
ingthatshewasgettingbetter—looking,whentheglassbegantogrowsmallerandsmallerandherownreflectiontoshrink,untilsherealizedthatshewaslookingintoRayKennedy’seyes,seeingherfaceinthatlookofhiswhichshecouldneverforget。AllatoncetheeyeswereFredOttenburg’s,andnotRay’s。Allnightsheheardtheshriek—
ingoftrains,whistlinginandoutofMoonstone,assheusedtoheartheminhersleepwhentheyblewshrillinthewinterair。Butto—nighttheywereterrifying,——thespec—
tral,fatedtrainsthat\"racedwithdeath,\"aboutwhichtheoldwomanfromthedepotusedtopray。
InthemorningshewakenedbreathlessafterastrugglewithMrs。LiveryJohnson’sdaughter。Shestartedupwithabound,threwtheblanketsbackandsatontheedgeofthebed,hernight—dressopen,herlongbraidshangingoverherbosom,blinkingatthedaylight。Afterall,itwasnottoolate。Shewasonlytwentyyearsold,andtheboatsailedatnoon。Therewasstilltime!
EndofPartV
PARTVI
KRONBORG
I
Itisagloriouswinterday。Denver,standingonherhighplateauunderathrillinggreen—bluesky,ismaskedinsnowandglitteringwithsunlight。TheCapitolbuildingisactuallyinarmor,andthrowsofftheshaftsofthesununtilthebeholderisdazzledandtheoutlinesofthebuildingarelostinablazeofreflectedlight。Thestoneterraceisawhitefieldoverwhichfieryreflectionsdance,andthetreesandbushesarefaithfullyrepeatedinsnow——oneveryblacktwigasoft,blurredlineofwhite。Fromtheterraceonelooksdirectlyovertowherethemountainsbreakintheirsharp,familiarlinesagainstthesky。Snowfillsthegorges,hangsinscarfsonthegreatslopes,andonthepeaksthefierysunshineisgatheredupasbyaburning—glass。
HowardArchieisstandingatthewindowofhisprivateroomintheofficesoftheSanFelipeMiningCompany,onthesixthflooroftheRatonBuilding,lookingoffatthemountaingloriesofhisStatewhilehegivesdictationtohissecretary。Heistenyearsolderthanwhenwesawhimlast,andemphaticallytenyearsmoreprosperous。Adecadeofcomingintothingshasnotsomuchagedhimasithasforti—
fied,smoothed,andassuredhim。Hissandyhairandimperialconcealwhatevergraytheyharbor。Hehasnotgrownheavier,butmoreflexible,andhismassiveshoulderscarryfiftyyearsandthecontrolofhisgreatmininginter—
estsmorelightlythantheycarriedfortyyearsandacoun—
trypractice。Inshort,heisoneofthefriendstowhomwefeelgratefulforhavinggotonintheworld,forhelpingto
keepupthegeneraltemperatureandourownconfidenceinlife。Heisanacquaintancethatonewouldhurrytoover—
takeandgreetamongahundred。Inhiswarmhandshakeandgeneroussmilethereisthestimulatingcordialityofgoodfellowscomeintogoodfortuneandeagertopassiton;
somethingthatmakesonethinkbetterofthelotteryoflifeandresolvetotryagain。
WhenArchiehadfinishedhismorningmail,heturnedawayfromthewindowandfacedhissecretary。\"Didany—
thingcomeupyesterdayafternoonwhileIwasaway,T。B。?\"
ThomasBurkturnedovertheleafofhiscalendar。
\"GovernorAldensentdowntosaythathewantedtoseeyoubeforehesendshislettertotheBoardofPardons。
AskedifyoucouldgoovertotheStateHousethismorn—
ing。\"
Archieshruggedhisshoulders。\"I’llthinkaboutit。\"
Theyoungmangrinned。
\"Anythingelse?\"hischiefcontinued。
T。B。swungroundinhischairwithalookofinterestonhisshrewd,clean—shavenface。\"OldJasperFlightwasin,Dr。Archie。Ineverexpectedtoseehimaliveagain。Seemshe’stuckedawayforthewinterwithasisterwho’sahousekeeperattheOxford。He’sallcrippledupwithrheumatism,butasfierceafteritasever。Wantstoknowifyouorthecompanywon’tgrub—stakehimagain。Sayshe’ssureofitthistime;hadlocatedsomethingwhenthesnowshutdownonhiminDecember。Hewantstocrawloutatthefirstbreakintheweather,withthatsameoldburrowiththesplitear。Hegotsomebodytowinterthebeastforhim。He’ssuperstitiousaboutthatburro,too;
thinksit’sdivinelyguided。Yououghttohearthelineoftalkheputuphereyesterday;saidwhenherodeinhiscarriage,thatburrowasa—goingtoridealongwithhim。\"
Archielaughed。\"Didheleaveyouhisaddress?\"
\"Hedidn’tneglectanything,\"repliedtheclerkcynically。
\"Well,sendhimalineandtellhimtocomeinagain。I
liketohearhim。OfallthecrazyprospectorsI’veeverknown,he’sthemostinteresting,becausehe’sreallycrazy。
It’sareligiousconvictionwithhim,andwithmostof’emit’sagamblingfeverorpurevagrancy。ButJasperFlightbelievesthattheAlmightykeepsthesecretofthesilverdepositsinthesehills,andgivesitawaytothedeserving。
He’sadownrightnoblefigure。OfcourseI’llstakehim!
Aslongashecancrawloutinthespring。Heandthatburroareasighttogether。ThebeastisnearlyaswhiteasJasper;mustbetwentyyearsold。\"
\"Ifyoustakehimthistime,youwon’thavetoagain,\"
saidT。B。knowingly。\"He’llcroakupthere,markmyword。Sayshenevertiestheburroatnightnow,forfearhemightbecalledsudden,andthebeastwouldstarve。Iguessthatanimalcouldeatalariatrope,allright,andenjoyit。\"
\"Iguessifweknewthethingsthosetwohaveeaten,andhaven’teaten,intheirtime,T。B。,itwouldmakeusvege—
tarians。\"Thedoctorsatdownandlookedthoughtful。
\"That’sthewayfortheoldmantogo。Itwouldbeprettyhardluckifhehadtodieinahospital。Iwishhecouldturnupsomethingbeforehecashesin。Buthiskindseldomdo;they’rebewitched。Still,therewasStratton。I’vebeenmeetingJasperFlight,andhissidemeatandtinpans,upinthemountainsforyears,andI’dmisshim。Ialwayshalfwaybelievethefairytaleshespinsme。OldJasperFlight,\"Archiemurmured,asifhelikedthenameorthepictureitcalledup。
AclerkcameinfromtheouterofficeandhandedArchieacard。Hesprangupandexclaimed,\"Mr。Ottenburg?
Bringhimin。\"
FredOttenburgentered,cladinalong,fur—linedcoat,holdingachecked—clothhatinhishand,hischeeksandeyesbrightwiththeoutdoorcold。ThetwomenmetbeforeArchie’sdeskandtheirhandclaspwaslongerthanfriend—
shippromptsexceptinregionswherethebloodwarmsand
quickenstomeetthedrycold。Underthegeneralkeying—
upofthealtitude,mannerstakeonaheartiness,avivacity,thatisoneexpressionofthehalf—unconsciousexcitementwhichColoradopeoplemisswhentheydropintolowerstrataofair。Theheart,wearetold,wearsoutearlyinthathighatmosphere,butwhileitpumpsitsendsoutnosluggishstream。Ourtwofriendsstoodgrippingeachotherbythehandandsmiling。
\"Whendidyougetin,Fred?Andwhathaveyoucomefor?\"Archiegavehimaquizzicalglance。
\"I’vecometofindoutwhatyouthinkyou’redoingouthere,\"theyoungermandeclaredemphatically。\"Iwanttogetnext,Ido。Whencanyouseeme?\"
\"Anythingonto—night?Thensupposeyoudinewithme。WherecanIpickyouupatfive—thirty?\"
\"Bixby’soffice,generalfreightagentoftheBurlington。\"
Ottenburgbegantobuttonhisovercoatanddrewonhisgloves。\"I’vegottohaveoneshotatyoubeforeIgo,Archie。Didn’tItellyouPinkyAldenwasacheapsquirt?\"
Alden’sbackerlaughedandshookhishead。\"Oh,he’sworsethanthat,Fred。Itisn’tpolitetomentionwhatheis,outsideoftheArabianNights。Iguessedyou’dcometorubitintome。\"
Ottenburgpaused,hishandonthedoorknob,hishighcolorchallengingthedoctor’scalm。\"I’mdisgustedwithyou,Archie,fortrainingwithsuchapup。Amanofyourexperience!\"
\"Well,he’sbeenanexperience,\"Archiemuttered。\"I’mnotcoyaboutadmittingit,amI?\"
Ottenburgflungopenthedoor。\"Smallcredittoyou。
Eventhewomenareoutforcapitalandcorruption,Ihear。
YourGovernor’sdonemorefortheUnitedBreweriesinsixmonthsthanI’vebeenabletodoinsixyears。He’sthelily—liveredsortwe’relookingfor。Good—morning。\"
Thatafternoonatfiveo’clockDr。ArchieemergedfromtheStateHouseafterhistalkwithGovernorAlden,and
crossedtheterraceunderasaffronsky。Thesnow,beatenhard,wasblueinthedusk;adayofblindingsunlighthadnotevenstartedathaw。Thelightsofthecitytwinkledpalebelowhiminthequiveringvioletair,andthedomeoftheStateHousebehindhimwasstillredwiththelightfromthewest。Beforehegotintohiscar,thedoctorpausedtolookabouthimatthesceneofwhichhenevertired。
ArchielivedinhisownhouseonColfaxAvenue,wherehehadroomygroundsandarosegardenandaconserva—
tory。HishousekeepingwasdonebythreeJapaneseboys,devotedandresourceful,whowereabletomanageArchie’sdinnerparties,toseethathekepthisengagements,andtomakevisitorswhostayedatthehousesocomfortablethattheywerealwaysloathtogoaway。
Archiehadneverknownwhatcomfortwasuntilhebecameawidower,thoughwithcharacteristicdelicacy,ordishonesty,heinsisteduponaccreditinghispeaceofmindtotheSanFelipe,toTime,toanythingbuthisreleasefromMrs。Archie。
Mrs。ArchiediedjustbeforeherhusbandleftMoonstoneandcametoDenvertolive,sixyearsago。Thepoorwo—
man’sfightagainstdustwasherundoingatlast。Onesummerdaywhenshewasrubbingtheparlorupholsterywithgasoline,——thedoctorhadoftenforbiddenhertouseitonanyaccount,sothatwasoneofthepleasuressheseizeduponinhisabsence,——anexplosionoccurred。No—
bodyeverknewexactlyhowithappened,forMrs。Archiewasdeadwhentheneighborsrushedintosaveherfromtheburninghouse。Shemusthaveinhaledtheburninggasanddiedinstantly。
Moonstoneseverityrelentedtowardhersomewhatafterherdeath。ButevenwhileheroldcroniesatMrs。Smiley’smillinerystoresaidthatitwasaterriblething,theyaddedthatnothingbutapowerfulexplosiveCOULDhavekilledMrs。Archie,andthatitwasonlyrightthedoctorshouldhaveachance。
Archie’spastwasliterallydestroyedwhenhiswifedied。
Thehouseburnedtotheground,andallthosematerialreminderswhichhavesuchpoweroverpeopledisappearedinanhour。HismininginterestsnowtookhimtoDenversooftenthatitseemedbettertomakehisheadquartersthere。HegaveuphispracticeandleftMoonstoneforgood。Sixmonthsafterward,whileDr。ArchiewaslivingattheBrownPalaceHotel,theSanFelipeminebegantogiveupthatsilverhoardwhicholdCaptainHarrishadalwaysaccuseditofconcealing,andSanFelipeheadedthelistofminingquotationsineverydailypaper,EastandWest。InafewyearsDr。Archiewasaveryrichman。
Hisminewassuchanimportantiteminthemineralout—
putoftheState,andArchiehadahandinsomanyofthenewindustriesofColoradoandNewMexico,thathispoli—
ticalinfluencewasconsiderable。Hehadthrownitall,twoyearsago,tothenewreformparty,andhadbroughtabouttheelectionofagovernorofwhoseconducthewasnowheartilyashamed。HisfriendsbelievedthatArchiehimselfhadambitiouspoliticalplans。
II
WHENOttenburgandhishostreachedthehouseonColfaxAvenue,theywentdirectlytothelibrary,alongdoubleroomonthesecondfloorwhichArchiehadarrangedexactlytohisowntaste。Itwasfullofbooksandmountedspecimensofwildgame,withabigwriting—tableateitherend,stiff,old—fashionedengravings,heavyhang—
ingsanddeepupholstery。
WhenoneoftheJapaneseboysbroughtthecocktails,Fredturnedfromthefinespecimenofpeccorayhehadbeenexaminingandsaid,\"Amanisanowltoliveinsuchaplacealone,Archie。Whydon’tyoumarry?Asforme,justbecauseIcan’tmarry,Ifindtheworldfullofcharm—
ing,unattachedwomen,anyoneofwhomIcouldfitupahouseforwithalacrity。\"
\"You’remoreknowingthanI。\"Archiespokepolitely。
\"I’mnotverywideawakeaboutwomen。I’dbelikelytopickoutoneoftheuncomfortableones——andthereareafewofthem,youknow。\"Hedrankhiscocktailandrubbedhishandstogetherinafriendlyway。\"Myfriendsherehavecharmingwives,andtheydon’tgivemeachancetogetlonely。Theyareverykindtome,andIhaveagreatmanypleasantfriendships。\"
Fredputdownhisglass。\"Yes,I’vealwaysnoticedthatwomenhaveconfidenceinyou。Youhavethedoctor’swayofgettingnext。Andyouenjoythatkindofthing?\"
\"Thefriendshipofattractivewomen?Oh,dear,yes!
Idependuponitagreatdeal。\"
Thebutlerannounceddinner,andthetwomenwentdownstairstothedining—room。Dr。Archie’sdinnerswerealwaysgoodandwellserved,andhiswineswereexcellent。
\"IsawtheFuelandIronpeopleto—day,\"Ottenburgsaid,
lookingupfromhissoup。\"Theirheartisintherightplace。
Ican’tseewhyinthemischiefyouevergotmixedupwiththatreformgang,Archie。You’vegotnothingtoreformouthere。ThesituationhasalwaysbeenassimpleastwoandtwoinColorado;mostlyamatterofafriendlyunder—
standing。\"
\"Well,\"——Archiespoketolerantly,——\"someoftheyoungfellowsseemedtohavered—hotconvictions,andI
thoughtitwasbettertoletthemtrytheirideasout。\"
Ottenburgshruggedhisshoulders。\"Afewdullyoungmenwhohaven’tabilityenoughtoplaytheoldgametheoldway,sotheywanttoputonanewgamewhichdoesn’ttakesomuchbrainsandgivesawaymoreadvertisingthat’swhatyouranti—saloonleagueandvicecommissionamountsto。Theyprovidenotorietyforthefellowswhocan’tdistinguishthemselvesatrunningabusinessorprac—
ticinglawordevelopinganindustry。Hereyouhaveamediocrelawyerwithnobrainsandnopractice,tryingtogetalook—inonsomething。Hecomesupwiththenovelpropositionthattheprostitutehasahardtimeofit,putshispictureinthepaper,andthefirstthingyouknow,he’sacelebrity。Hegetstherake—offandshe’sjustwhereshewasbefore。Howcouldyoufallforamouse—traplikePinkAlden,Archie?\"
Dr。Archielaughedashebegantocarve。\"Pinkseemstogetunderyourskin。He’snotworthtalkingabout。
He’sgonehislimit。Peoplewon’treadabouthisblame—
lesslifeanymore。Iknewthoseinterviewshegaveoutwouldcookhim。Theywerealastresort。Icouldhavestoppedhim,butbythattimeI’dcometotheconclusionthatI’dletthereformersdown。I’mnotagainstageneralshaking—up,butthetroublewithPinky’scrowdistheynevergetbeyondageneralwriting—up。Wegavethemachancetodosomething,andtheyjustkeptonwritingabouteachotherandwhattemptationstheyhadover—
come。\"
WhileArchieandhisfriendwerebusywithColoradopolitics,theimpeccableJapaneseattendedswiftlyandintelligentlytohisduties,andthedinner,asOttenburgatlastremarked,wasworthyofmoreprofitableconversation。
\"Soitis,\"thedoctoradmitted。\"Well,we’llgoup—
stairsforourcoffeeandcutthisout。Bringupsomecognacandarak,Tai,\"headdedasherosefromthetable。
Theystoppedtoexamineamoose’sheadonthestair—
way,andwhentheyreachedthelibrarythepinelogsinthefireplacehadbeenlighted,andthecoffeewasbubblingbeforethehearth。Taiplacedtwochairsbeforethefireandbroughtatrayofcigarettes。
\"Bringthecigarsinmylowerdeskdrawer,boy,\"thedoctordirected。\"Toomuchlightinhere,isn’tthere,Fred?Lightthelampthereonmydesk,Tai。\"HeturnedofftheelectricglareandsettledhimselfdeepintothechairoppositeOttenburg’s。
\"Togobacktoourconversation,doctor,\"Fredbeganwhilehewaitedforthefirststeamtoblowoffhiscoffee;
\"whydon’tyoumakeupyourmindtogotoWashington?
There’dbenofightmadeagainstyou。Ineedn’tsaytheUnitedBrewerieswouldbackyou。There’dbesomeKUDOS
comingtous,too;backingareformcandidate。\"
Dr。Archiemeasuredhislengthinhischairandthrusthislargebootstowardthecracklingpitch—pine。Hedrankhiscoffeeandlitabigblackcigarwhilehisguestlookedovertheassortmentofcigarettesonthetray。\"Yousaywhydon’tI,\"thedoctorspokewiththedeliberationofamaninthepositionofhavingseveralcoursestochoosefrom,\"but,ontheotherhand,whyshouldI?\"Hepuffedawayandseemed,throughhishalf—closedeyes,tolookdownseverallongroadswiththeintentionofluxuriouslyrejectingallofthemandremainingwherehewas。\"I’msickofpolitics。I’mdisillusionedaboutservingmycrowd,andIdon’tparticularlywanttoserveyours。NothinginitthatIparticularlywant;andaman’snoteffectiveinpoli—
ticsunlesshewantssomethingforhimself,andwantsithard。Icanreachmyendsbystraighterroads。Thereareplentyofthingstokeepmebusy。Wehaven’tbeguntodevelopourresourcesinthisState;wehaven’thadalookinonthemyet。That’stheonlythingthatisn’tfake——
makingmenandmachinesgo,andactuallyturningoutaproduct。\"
ThedoctorpouredhimselfsomewhitecordialandlookedoverthelittleglassintothefirewithanexpressionwhichledOttenburgtobelievethathewasgettingatsomethinginhisownmind。Fredlitacigaretteandlethisfriendgropeforhisidea。
\"Myboys,here,\"Archiewenton,\"havegotmeratherinterestedinJapan。ThinkI’llgooutthereinthespring,andcomebacktheotherway,throughSiberia。I’vealwayswantedtogotoRussia。\"Hiseyesstillhuntedforsome—
thinginhisbigfireplace。Withaslowturnofhisheadhebroughtthembacktohisguestandfixedthemuponhim。
\"Justnow,I’mthinkingofrunningontoNewYorkforafewweeks,\"heendedabruptly。
Ottenburgliftedhischin。\"Ah!\"heexclaimed,asifhebegantoseeArchie’sdrift。\"ShallyouseeThea?\"
\"Yes。\"Thedoctorreplenishedhiscordialglass。\"Infact,IsuspectIamgoingexactlyTOseeher。I’mgettingstaleonthingshere,Fred。Bestpeopleintheworldandalwaysdoingthingsforme。I’mfondofthem,too,butI’vebeenwiththemtoomuch。I’mgettingill—tempered,andthefirstthingIknowI’llbehurtingpeople’sfeelings。
IsnappedMrs。DandridgeupoverthetelephonethisafternoonwhensheaskedmetogoouttoColoradoSpringsonSundaytomeetsomeEnglishpeoplewhoarestayingattheAntlers。Veryniceofhertowantme,andIwasassourasifshe’dbeentryingtoworkmeforsomething。
I’vegottogetoutforawhile,tosavemyreputation。\"
TothisexplanationOttenburghadnotpaidmuchatten—
tion。Heseemedtobelookingatafixedpoint:theyellow
glasseyesofafinewildcatoveroneofthebookcases。
\"You’veneverheardheratall,haveyou?\"heaskedreflectively。\"Curious,whenthisishersecondseasoninNewYork。\"
\"IwasgoingonlastMarch。Hadeverythingarranged。
AndthenoldCapHarristhoughthecoulddrivehiscarandmethroughalamp—postandIwaslaidupwithacom—
poundfracturefortwomonths。SoIdidn’tgettoseeThea。\"
Ottenburgstudiedtheredendofhiscigaretteattentively。
\"Shemighthavecomeouttoseeyou。Irememberyoucoveredthedistancelikeastreakwhenshewantedyou。\"
Archiemoveduneasily。\"Oh,shecouldn’tdothat。ShehadtogetbacktoViennatoworkonsomenewpartsforthisyear。ShesailedtwodaysaftertheNewYorkseasonclosed。\"
\"Well,thenshecouldn’t,ofcourse。\"Fredsmokedhiscigarettecloseandtossedtheendintothefire。\"I’mtre—
mendouslygladyou’regoingnow。Ifyou’restale,she’lljackyouup。That’soneofherspecialties。ShegotariseoutofmelastDecemberthatlastedmeallwinter。\"